TAPING TIPS FOR TERRIFIC TRANSCRIPTIONS

  1. TWO WORDS: LAPEL MIKE Buy this simple contraption, which fits into about every recorder's mike switch -- and your recordings instantly will be much more free of annoying and word-obscuring background noise. It's so simple and easy, but yet makes such a dramatic difference in the quality of your recording. Every person being interviewed should have his or her own lapel mike.

    For one-on-one interviews, try this solution from Radio Shack. For larger groups, consider an omnidirectional microphone or more expensive wireless microphone system.
  2. The interviewer should stop the interview after the first question is answered, and listen to a minute of the tape -- to be sure it is recording clearly at a loud volume. It doesn't work for them to say "testing, 1-2-3" right into the mike before starting, but then proceed to place the mike too far from the speakers.
  3. If the recorder has a built-in mike (and you don't use a lapel mike), the recorder should be propped up so the mike faces the interviewee, not the ceiling.
  4. Interviewers need to understand the process of taping, that what THEY can hear is not necessarily what the tape picks up. That's why awareness of the effect of background noises on the tape is crucial.
  5. Keep the recorder away from any equipment, such as a laptop computer, that contains a motor and can cause a very distracting buzzing sound on the recording.
  6. Investment in good recording equipment (preferably a digital recorder or standard-size tape recorder with an external microphone) pays off in clearer tapes and shorter transcription times. (Note that a microcassette recorder is better for personal dictation, not to record interviews.) A relatively affordable digital recorder we highly recommend is the Olympus, based on customer recording quality. Our optimal recording format is a detailed .wav file, or, if this requires too much uploading time for you, a more compact MP3.
  7. Battery-operated tape recorders are risky. A dying battery causes fluctuations in the speed at which something is being recorded, and that causes distortions in the sound on playback. A dead battery means you've wasted everyone's time and have nothing to show for your efforts.
  8. The tape recorder should be tested before each interview to make sure the tone, volume, microphone placement are set to produce the clearest sound.
  9. Introduce the subjects (or have them introduce themselves) in the beginning so the transcriber can recognize their voices, know the number of speakers, etc.
  10. Be aware that sirens, traffic, phones ringing, papers being rustled on a table all are picked up by the microphone and can obscure the dialogue.
  11. The interviewer must be vigilant about encouraging the subject to speak up if they fade, to give an oral response instead of nodding, so that the tape recorder picks up everything.
  12. When possible, record in small rooms, versus someplace large like a lecture hall. The walls and ceilings of small rooms help contain and channel sound into the recorder. It's amazing about the difference this often makes!
  13. For recording phone calls, we strongly recommend this phone adapter from Radioshack. Your phone and recorder both plug into it, making your telephone receiver into a virtual microphone for your recording. As a result, these are often the best recordings we get, even better than in person when the subject is not miked. Note: DO NOT use the cheaper suction-cup receiver-recording device that Radio Shack also sells, which is very unreliable and has inferior sound.